Adan Figure Pair - Volta Region, Ghana The two upright wooden figures are characterized by a strictly geometric, almost architectural formal language. Rectangular shoulder blocks, elongated cylindrical bodies, and slender, parallel arms rest on openwork legs. Large, disc-shaped heads with highly simplified facial features sit atop long necks; the nose and mouth emerge as narrow, sculpted ridges. Small protrusions mark the chest and navel. Traces of red, blue, and lighter paint cover the gray to brown weathered surfaces, revealing an originally more vibrant polychromy. Despite their different sizes, the two figures form a formally cohesive pair. The attribution places them in the cultural transition zone of the Dangme/Adan and Ewe peoples in southeastern Ghana and the area surrounding the lower Volta. However, the term "Adan" is not always used consistently in collection and art literature and should therefore be interpreted with caution. Smaller figurative artworks from this region are often referred to as Aklama: material embodiments or points of reference for helper spirits, which could be ritually individualized through painting, ornamentation, or other additions. However, for the unusually large pair in question, a specific shrine, ancestral, or protective function cannot be definitively determined without a documented context of origin. Literature (selection): Nii O. Quarcoopome et al.: Aklama. Helper Spirits of the Ewe and Dangme. Karlsruhe 2016. Herbert M. Cole / Doran H. Ross: The Arts of Ghana. Los Angeles 1977. Suzanne Preston Blier: African Vodun. Chicago 1995. Some of the information and photos are generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history documents. All information and photos are protected by copyright. Inv. No. MAZ29396 Informant: Ouro Height: 49 cm / 53 cm Weight: 1,1 kg / 1,1 kg